Buttonhole sewing-machine



(No'ModeL) 9 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. B ALLEN. BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE.

No. 473,564. Patented A r. 26, 1892.

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No. 473,564. Patented Apr. 26, 1892.

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No. 473,564. Patented Apr. 26, 1892.

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Patented Apr. 26, 1892.

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BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE.

No. 473,564. Patented Apr.- 26, 1892.

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No. 473,564. Patented'Ap'r. 26,1892.

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ED\VARD I3. ALLEN, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGERMANUFAOTURIN G COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY.

BUTTONHOLE SEWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,564, dated April26, 1892. Application filed October 30, 1891. Serial No. 410,805. (Nomodel.)

To to whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ButtonholeSewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

to My invention has for its object to produce a buttonholesewing-machine by which ashoe buttonhole-flap or other piece of materialto have a series of .buttonholes worked therein may be presented to thestitch-forming mechanism of the machine and automatically fed from onebuttonhole to another for any desired number of holes, thebuttonholeslits being preferably automatically cut and the machine beingpreferably automatically stopped when a predetermined number ofbuttonholes has been completed.

In carrying my invention into elfect the bu ttonhole-flap or other pieceof work in which the buttonholes are to be formed is preferably carriedby a suitable work-holder, which, with the buttonhole-piece securedthereto, is

automatically fed along to space the button holes, the work immediatelyadjacent to each buttonhole successively to be worked being held byclamping-feet, which are automatically lowered onto the material (thisbeing done just as the buttonhole is out when an automatic cutter isused) and which are automatically lifted from the material when thestitching of the buttonhole is completed to release the work to permitthe latter to be fed along to bring it into position for thenextsucceeding buttonhole.

My invention is preferably applied to a buttonhole-machine provided witha barring II] echanism,which finishes the end of each buttonhole when ithas been otherwise completed, so that when the operator has placed abuttonhole-piece on the work-holder and has started themachine with thesaid work-holder in position the entire series of holes for the saidbuttonhole-piece may be cut, stitched, and barred, and thus thebuttonhole work of the said piece be fully completed without furtherattention on the part of the operator, the machine being preferablyautomatically stopped when a predetermined number of bu ttonholes hasbeen worked, as hereinbefore stated. When a buttonhole has beencompleted and the buttonhole-piece is to be fed along for the nextbattonhole, the tension on the buttonhole-threads is preferablyautomatically released to avoid danger of breaking the said threads orof springing the needle, and at the same time and for the same pur- 6opose the needle-thread is preferably slightly unwound or drawn from itsspool.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional side view of abuttonhole sewingmachine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the work-plate of same, the arm being removed to show the partsbeneath it. Figs. 3 and 4 are front end views, partly in section, of myimproved machine; and Fig. 5 is a partial bottom view thereof. Figs. 6and 7 are partial detail views to show the workholder guiding andfeeding devices. Fig. 8 is a section on line 8 8; and Fig. 9, a sectionon line 9 9, Fig. 6. Fig. 10 is a detail plan view of the work-holder.Fig. 11 is a partial plan view of the arm of the machine,

showing the spool-holder and tension device therefor. Figs. 12, 13, 14,15, and 16 are detail views of the governing devices for the stoppingmechanism. Figs. 17 and 18 are detail views of the stopping mechanism.Fig. 19 is a plan view of the work-plate and connected parts. Fig. 20 isa detail view showing the clamp-returning dog and adjacent parts. Fig.21 shows a portion of the clampreturning ring, and Fig. 22 is a detailof the gear and cam forming part of the stopping mechanism. Fig; 23 is adetail view of the cutter-carrying block and adjacent parts. Fig. 24 isa cross-sectional detail showing the 0 support and bearings for thecutter-block. Figs. 25 and 26 are detail views of the lower tension andits releasing mechanism. Figs. 27 and 28 are detail views showing thepivotally-connected stopping-bar and setting-la 5 ver separated fromeach other.

In the drawings, A denotes the arm, and B the work-plate, of awell-known form of buttonhole sewing-machine having journaled in theupper part of said 'arm the driving- IOO shaft 2, geared to a verticalshaft 3, which said drivrotates once to two revolutions of ing-shaft andwhich carries at its lower end beneath said work-plate the clamp feedingand looper-operating cam, and which is also provided inside of thevertical part of the said arm with a cam 5 to operate the lever 6,connected by rod 7 with the swinging frame 8, in which the needle-bar 9reciprocates vertically, as fully shown and described in United StatesPatent No. 272,126, the to and fro or horizontal movements of the needlebeing utilized to form overedge or buttonholestitches in a well-knownmanner. The shaft 2 is provided with the usual fiy-wheel 10, securedthereto, and with the pulley-wheel ll loose on said shaft, but arrangedto be frictionally pressed against said flywheel by the clutch-lever 12when motionis to be imparted to said shaft, said clutch-lever having theusual brake m to arrest the motion of the said pulley-wheel and shaftwhen the said clutchlever is released.

Journaled beneath the workplate B, in suitable standards 1), is aseconddriving or power shaft G, from which the buttonhole-cutting mechanism,the work-holder feeding in echanism, the work-holder feed-stoppingmechanism, the tension-releasing and thread-slackening mechanism, andthe mechanism for depressing and releasing the clamping-feet areoperated, all as will be presently described.

Mounted loosely on the shaft is a pulley 13, having a hub 14, providedwith a camgroove 15, entered by a pin 16, carried by a slide 17, movablefreely back and forth on the said shaft 0 and serving to operate thestopping and starting mechanisms, as will presently appear, the saidpulley 13 being connected with the wheel 18, fast on said shaft, bymeans of a pin or projection 19 on the inside of the pulley-rim andarranged to be engaged by a dog 20, carried by said wheel 18, and forcedoutward by a suitable spring 21, so as to, engage said pin or projectionwhen said shaft is to be rotated.

Secured to the shaft 0 is a bevel-gear 22, meshing with a largerbevel-gear 23 on the lower end of a cutter-operating shaft 24, providednear its upper end with an arm 25, preferably furnished with a roller26. 27 is a sliding rod recessed at its rear end to form a shoulder 28to be engaged by said arm 25, or the roller 26 carried thereby, said rodbeing normally held in the position shown in Fig. l by a spring 29,which serves to retract said rod after it has been forced forward by thesaid arm or roller to operate the cutter. To the forward end of the rod27 are jointedtwo links 30 and 31, forming a toggle, the link 30 beingpivoted at its upper end to a fixed part of the head at the forward endof the arm A, and the link 31 being jointed at its lowerend to avertically-sliding cutter-operating bar 32. A stiff plate-spring Itbears against said toggle to assist the spring 29 in forcing thetoggle-links out of vertical position when a buttonhole has been out.The cutter 33 is preferably mounted on the work-clamp in a manner to behereinafter described, and the bar 32 is in such case provided with asuitable projection 34 to operate the said cutter, said projection beingpreferably adjustably attached to said bar by being formed on a collar35, held between nuts 36, screwed onto the lower end of said bar.

The work-clamp D is mounted on the plate 37, provided with the usualguiding-slot 38, (see Fig. 6,) through which the feeding-pin 39 extendsinto the feeding-groove 40 in the feed-wheel 41, operated from the lever42 in a well known manner and as fully described in United States PatentNo. 272,126, hereinbefore referred to. To the clamp base-plate d isrigidly secured the block or standard 43, through which the feeding-pin39 passes, said block or standard being provided at its top with cars44, to which, by a pin 44', is pivoted a lever 45, having depending arms45' straddlin g said block or standard and connected by links 46 and 47with the rear ends of levers 48, carrying at their forward ends theclamping-feet 49. The clamping-levers 48 are pivoted to small standards50, attached to the work-holder supporting plate 51, suitable springs52, arranged beneath the forward arms of the said levers, serving tolift the said clamping-feet when the work is to be released. The lever45 is arranged beneath an arm 53, projecting from the collar 35, carriedby the cutter-operating bar 32, so that when said bar descends toactuate the cutter the said lever 45 will be depressed, thereby movingthe lower ends of the links 47 rearward and up inclines formed on blocks53, attached to the block or standard 43, and thus depressing theclamping-feet carried at the forward ends of the levers 48, thisoperation of the said levers 48 being due to the connection of the rearends thereof with the arms 45' through the links 46 and 47, the latterlinks being pivoted at their upper ends to said clamping-levers, so thatwhen said links 47 are drawn to the vertical position shown in Fig. 3the clamping-feet 49 will be held against the work until released, aswill be hereinafter described.

The cutter 33 is carried by a block 54, provided withrearwardly-extending arms 55, having guide-slots 56, entered by screwsor pins 57, carried by a U-shaped block 58, embracing the forwardportion of the clam p- 1 block or standard 43, ihe said block orstandard 43 and the other parts of the clamp, as well as the work-holdersupporting-plate connected therewith, being thus movable relative to theblock 58 and the cutter. The cutter-carrying block 54 is provided withahorizontal stud or roller 54, (see Figs. 4 and 23,) held in contactwith an incline or cam edge 56, formed on the block 58 by springs thefree ends of which engage the said arms 55. From this construction itresults that when the cutter carrying block 54 is depressed the cutterwill move forward, so that its point or forward end comes closelyadjacent to the needle. In other words, the buttonhole-slit formed bythe cutter will be in proper position for the commencement of thestitch-forming operation as soon as said slit is made without anyforward feeding of the work, and thus there will be no time lost betweenthe cutting and the stitching operations. When the cutter-operating barrises, the cutter is lifted and returned to its first position by thesprings 55, attached to the block 58 and engaging the arms 55 of thecutter-carrying block 54,. The anvil or cuttingblock is formed partly onthe clamp-gniding vbutton 59 and partly by a plate 60, attached to aforward extension 61 of the block 58, said extension fitting in asuitable steadying-slot formed in the clamp base-plate cl, and beingrecessed at its sides beneath to form suitable supporting shoulders 62,resting on correspondin g shoulders formed on the clamp baseplate (Z.Thus the said base-plate (Z affords a suitable resistance for thecutting pressure without forcing any portion of the cutter-sup-' portingblock into contact with the clampguiding block 37. The forward end ofthe lower portion of the extension 61 is rounded to form a bearingagainst the rounded bearing-surface of the guiding-button 59 when theclamp is being turned to stitch the eyes of the buttonholes, said buttonbeing carried by a sliding plate 63, and being thus adapted to be, movedlaterally, as described in United States Patent No. 360,434, for thepurpose of formingbarring stitches at the ends of the buttonholes. Theclamp base-plate (Z is pressed against the guidingbutton 59 in the usualmanner by a guide-roll orguide I, carried by a spring-pressed slide I,recessed in the workplate B. Surrounding the guiding-button 59 on thesliding plate 63 is a circular raised portion or boss 64, the top ofwhich is on a level with the upper surface of the clamp guidingplate 37,in which latter is formed a circular opening 65, larger than said boss,leaving between the outer wall of the latter and the inner wall of thesaid opening an annular space, whichloosely receives a pin 66,projecting below the bottom of the extension 61.

When a buttonhole is to be cut,it is necessary that the plate 61,forming part of the cut tin g-block, should be in close contact withthat part of the guiding-button 59 which forms the other part of saidcutting-block; but a certain looseness between the bearing afforded bythe rounded forward end of the extension 61 and the bearing port-ion ofthe guiding-button is necessary at the times of the beginning and endingof the stitching of the eye of a buttonhole to permit of the slightlateral or free movement of the clamp necessary to form aproperly-rounded eye. To provide means for holding 1he extension 61forward against the guiding-button to bring the two parts of thecutting-block together when a buttonhole is to be cut, an opening 67 isformed at one side of the circular opening 65, said opening receiving ablock 68, carried at the forward or inner end of sliding plate 69,guided in a groove formed on the under side of the plate 37, said blockbeing formed with an inclined side arranged to be engaged by the pin 66,and the said pin riding up said inclined side as the clamp is beingreturned to its startingpoint after the completion of the buttcnhole, aswill be described presently. As the said pin rides up said inclined sideof said block it serves to press the extension 61 and the plate carriedthereby forward against the guiding-button at the moment of the cuttingoperation. The sliding plate 69 is provided on its under side, nearitsouter end, with a pin 7 0, received in a cam-groove 71, formed in theupper face of the feeding-wheel 41, the cam portion of the said groovebeing so arranged as to move the said sliding plate inward just before abuttonhole is completed, said plate being then so placed that when theclamp has been returned to its starting-point the pin 66 will havereached the top of the incline and is there held while the cutter isoperated and while the stitchingmechanism is at rest, as will bedescribed farther on. As soon as the stitching mechanism is againstarted and the feed-wheel 4L1 begins to rotate the cam-groove 71 drawsthe sliding plate 69 outward and permits the pin 66 to drop into thenotch 72, formed in the block 68 beyond the incline, thus loosening theextension 61 from close contact with the guiding-button, so that whenthe clamp is to be turned for stitching the eye of a buttonhole properfree movement of the parts will be afforded, as above stated.

To the shaft 0 is secured the bevelgear 73, meshing with a bevel-gear74, formed on a sleeve 75, the upper end of which is provided with agear-wheel 76, (see Fig. 2,) meshing with a toothed clamp-returning ring77, surrounding the feed Wheel 41 and suitably mounted in a circularrecessin the work-plate. As will presently be further described, theshaft 0 is in rotation only when the driving shaft 2, which operates thestitching mechanism and the feeding-wheel, is at rest, and when abuttonhole has been stitched and barred the work-clamp will be in theposition shown in Fig. 2. The clamp-guiding plate 37 is provided nearits outer edge with a semicircular slot 7 S, and as soon as thestitching and barring of a buttonhole are completed and the stitchingmechanism and feeding-wheel are stopped a pin 79, beneath the work-plateand operated by mechanism to be presently described, is forced upward,and as the clamp feeding-pin 39 is at this moment directly above thesaid pin 7 9 said feeding-pin is lifted from the cam-groove 40 of thefeeding-wheel 41, thus leaving the clamp free to be returned toitsstitch-forming starting position. v

The pin 39 engages the forked inner end of a lever 80, pivoted on thepin 44: on the clampblock or standard 43, said lever at its outer endbeing forked to engage a clamp-returning pin 81, so that as the saidfeeding-pin 39 is lifted the said pin 81 will be depressed through IIOthe slot 78 and into the path of movement of the tail S2 of a dog orlever 83, pivoted to the clamp-returning ring 7 7, said tail being heldin position to engage said pin by a spring 84. As the said ring startsforward to return the clamp the tendency of the tail of the dog to moveinward against the pressure of said spring is resisted by the innercircular wall of the recess, in which the ring revolves, said wall beingengaged by the forward end 85 of the said dog, which forward end extendsthrough a recess formed in the upper face of the periphery of said ringwhen the pin 81 is engaged by the tail of the dog. When the ring 77 hasperformed a half-revolution, the forward end 85 of the dog will beopposite a recess 86, formed in work-plate, and as the pin 81 strikesthe end of the semicircular slot 78 in the plate 37 the tail 82 of thedog is forced inward, thus permitting the said pin to be disengagedtherefrom, said pin being then immediately lifted from theclamp-returning ring, and the slot 78, by theincline 87, formed on saidring, and by the spring 88, acting on the lever 80 and serving now todepress the clamp feeding-pin into the cam-groove of the feeding-wheel.

As the clamp is approaching its stitch-forming starting position andjust before the pin 81 is lifted from the clamp-returning ring, aprojection 89 at the outer or rear end of the clamp strikes a pivotedspring-catch 90, attached to the Work-plate, said catch yielding andthen immediately springing back to engage said projection and hold theclamp in position for the commencement of the stitching operation.

When the clamp feeding-pin 39 is lifted, as above described, anytendency of the rear part of the clamp to rise is resisted by theengagement of the projection 89 with the under surface of the curvedplate 172, overlying said projection, the clamp being held down forwardof its feeding-pin by the flanged guiding-button 59, in the usualmanner. Should the spring 88 fail to fully depress the clamp feeding-pin39 and lift theclamp-returning pin 81 from the slot 78,theclamping-lever 15, when depressed by the arm 52 by thecutter-operating bar 32, will positively force said pin 39 down into thegroove of the feedingwheel, and, acting through the lever 80, Will alsopositively lift the pin 81, so that the clamp will be free to be movedby the feeding-wheel.

lhe leading feature of my invention is an automatic feeding mechanism bywhich a shoe-flap or other piece of work in which a series ofbuttonholes are to be formed is antomatically fed forward to bring thework into position to form a new buttonhole while the clamp is beingreturned to its first or starting position after the completion of thepreceding buttonhole, and this feature of my invention will now bedescribed.

E denotes a work-holder consisting, as herein shown, of a skeletontemplet-plate curved to conform to the general shape of the buttonshoe-flap in which buttonholes are to be worked, the said plate having aseries of teeth e on one edge thereof. From the outer portion of thework-holder a series of fingers 91 project inwardly but not entirelyacross the space between the inner and outer rim portions of the holder,these fingers being each provided with a clamping device, consisting, asherein shown, of a spring-hook 92, beneath which the Work is held, asshown in Fig. 2. As the curvature of the particular form ofbuttonhole-fiap for which this holder is intended is not in the true areof a circle, the curvature of the holder is correspondingly irregular,and it is therefore necessary to hold and guide the said holder in sucha manner that the buttonholes maybe symmetrically placed, so as toradiate approximately from a common center. The Workholdersupportingplate 51, attached to (and thus movable with) the clampbase-plate d, is provided with guides, consisting, as herein shown, of aplate 93, having a small lip 94, slightly overhanging the outer edge ofthe work-holder, to guide said holder at its outer edge.

To hold and guide the inner edge of the work-holder, I provide twospring-pressed slides 95 and 96, movable in suitable ways 97, attachedto the plate 51 and having lips slightly overhanging the said inner edgeof the holder, and between said slides 95 and 96 is a plate 98, alsoattached to the plate 51 and provided with a lip 99 to engage the innerrim of the holder, and with the springpressed centering-pin 100, (seeFig. 4,) which is to engage with the notches 101, formed in the underportion of the inner edge of the holder and at points with which thebuttonholes should be in alignment.

The work-holder is fed forward in the di rection denoted by the arrow inFig. 2, and to insure a proper turning movement of the Work-holder tosecure a correct radial arrangement of the buttonholes, or, in otherwords, to cause the notch for each buttonhole to be properly entered bythe centeringpin 100, the spring for the slide 95 has a stronger tensionthan the spring for the slide 96. As a result of the difference ofpressure of the slides 95 and 96 against the inner edge of thework-holder, the latter,on being moved forward by the gear 102, meshingwith the teeth e, formed in the outer edge of said holder, is caused toprogress in such a manner that its inner shorter edge will travel nearlyor quite as fast as its outer longer edge, thus bringing a notch 101opposite the centeringpin slightly before the feeding movement of thegear 102 is arrested. As the feeding movements of the gear 102 arepositive and uniform, the outer or eye end of each buttonhole will inevery instance be properly brought into position, and the correctpositions for the inner ends of the buttonholes, to give the latter aproper radial arrangement on the buttonhole piece, is reliably securedby the abovedescribed differentially spring-pressed guid- IIO ing-slidesand 96, acting in cooperation with the notches 101 on the inner edgeofthe work-holder, and with the feeding-teeth and intermeshing gear-wheelat the outer edge of said holder.

As hereinbefore stated, the feeding movements of the work-holder E andof the buttonhole-piece clamped or otherwise suitably secured theretoare ettected during the time when the clampis being returned to itsstarting-point by the returning ring 77 after the buttonhole has beencompleted. To effect these feeding movements, I have in the presentinstance provided the guiding-button 59 with teeth 103,which areconnected bya train of gears 104, 105, 106, and 107 with the gear102,which meshes with the teeth 6 on the said work-holder, thesemi-rotary return movement of the work-holderand the clamp base-platecl, by which the work-holder supporting-plate 51 is carried, causing aproper rotation of these work-holder feeding-gears from the stationarygear on the sliding button.

To permit the work-holder to be entered into its guides after abuttonhole-piece has been secured thereto, it is necessary that the gear102 should be disconnected from the train of gears having connectionwith the stationary gear on the guiding-button 59, and for this purposeI have mounted the gear 107 on a spring 108 and provided said gear witha button 109. The spring 108 normally holds said gear 107 up, so that itis in mesh with the gear 102; but when the work-holder is to be enteredinto its guides and it is desired that the latter gear should rotatefreely the operator presses on said button 109, thereby depressing thegear 107 out of engagement with the gear 102. To providefor the variablefeeding movement of the work-holder for spacing the buttonholesdifferent distances apart, the gears 104 and are what may be termedchange-gearsthat is, they may be removed and interchangeable 'gears ofdifferent sizes may be substituted therefor to give a greater or lessprogressive or feeding movement to the work-holder from the stationarygear on the guiding-button.

As hereinbefore stated, the clamp baseplate guiding-button 59 is carriedby a plate 63, which is stationary while the sides and eye of abuttonhole are being stitched, but

which is given a reciprocating sliding move-' ment back and forth in thedirection of the length of the machine when the stitching of the lastside of a buttonhole is completed for the purpose of forming three orfour barring stitches across the end of the buttonhole, and at thecompletion of the barring stitches the driving-shaft 2, from which thestich-forming and clamp feeding mechanisms are operated, isautomatically stopped, the barring mechanism and the stopping mechanismfor the said driving-shaft, and which will now be described,beingessentially the same in principle (although varying somewhat in detail)clamp feeding-wl1eel41 and which is guided back and forth in a suitablerecess formed in the underside of the plate 37, is engaged by an upwardly-extending projection 110 of a bar 111, provided at its rear endwith a hook 112, arranged to be engaged bya second hook 113, carried bya lever 114, pivot-ally secured to a sliding bar 115, provided at itsrear end with a yoke embracing a cam b on the lower part of the verticalshaft 3, the said sliding bar being thus given a constant movement backand forth While the said shaft is in operation. The lever 114, carryingthe hook 113, is connected by a link 116 with the lower arm of abell-crank tripping-lever 117, the upper arm of which is provided with atoe portion 118, arranged in the path of movement of a projection 119,carried by the feeding-wheel 41. The link 116 at its point of connectionwith the lower arm of the lever 117 is forked or slotted to embrace thescrew 120, tapped through said arm, said link being yieldingly pressedagainst said screw by the spring 121. The screw 120 extends through andabove the lower arm of the lever 117 to form a pin or stop, againstwhich, by aspring 122, is pressed a holding dog 123, pivoted at 124 tothe under side of the work-plate B, and provided with notches 125 126and with a toepiece or projection 127.

To the under side of the work-plate B is pivoted the lever 128,connected by a link 129 with aholding-lever 130, pivoted at 131. Thelever128 is normally held against a stop-screw 132 by a spring 133, andthe said leverisprovided with a series of teeth to be engaged by a pawl134, carried by the sliding bar 115, said pawl being provided with a pin135,engaged by the tail-piece 136 of the hook 113, carried by the lever114. A spring 137 forces said pawl into engagement with the teeth of thelever 128 when the position of the tail-piece is such as to permit it todo so.

Pivoted to the under side of the worlcplate B is a bell-crank automaticsetting-lever F, the shorter am? 138 of which is engaged by theholding-lever 130, said arm being connected by a link 139 with asetting-lever140, having a vertical portion or arm projecting upwardthrough a slot in the Work-plate to serve as an operatinghandle. Aspring 141, arranged in said slot, serves to force said lever toward astop-screw 142.

O isa rod jointed to the setting-lever 140 by the screw 143, by whichthe link 1339 is connected to said lever, said rod extending rearward toengage the lower end of the clutchlever 12 to cause said lever to forcethe loose pulley-wheel 11 into frictional engagement with the fastfly-wheel 10 when the drivingshaft 2 is to be operated. A spring 144serves to retract the said clutch lever when the rod IIO 0 is releasedtherefrom and to apply the brake 00 to the fly-wheel to arrest therotation of the shaft 2.

The operation of the barring mechanism and of the stopping mechanism forthe driving-shaft 2, connected therewith, is as follows: The parts beingin the position shown in Fig. 5 and the sewing and clamp feedingmechanisms being in operation, (this feeding mechanism being that bywhich the buttonhole stitches are spaced,) the projection 119 will, whenthe stitching of the last side of a buttonhole is completed, engage thetoe portion 118 of the tripping-lever 117, causing said lever, throughthe link 116, to draw the lever 114, carried by the sliding bar 115,into such position that the hook 113 will en gage the hook 112 to impartmotion to the plate 63 and the guiding-button carried thereby, thusreciprocating the work-clamp beneath the needle and in opposition to thehorizontal movements of the latter to form barring stitches. At thefirst movement of the tripping-lever 117 the holding-dog 123 immediatelysprings forward, so that the pin or screw 120, the upwardlyprojectingpart of which had been resting in the notch 126, is now received intothe notch 125, so that said dog will now hold the trippinglever in theposition in which the projection 119hasplaceditafterthe said projectionmoves away from the toe portion of the said tripping-lever, thus holdingthe hook 113 in engagement with the hook 112. The movement of the hook l13, with its tail-piece 136, toward the hook 112 permits the pawl 134 toengage the teeth ofthelever 128 and turn said lever on its pivot to theextent of one tooth at each forward movement of the pawl, thus causingsaid lever, acting through the link 129, to move the holding-lever 130rearward until it is freed from the arm 128 of the lever F, when thespring 141 will move the setting-lever toward the side of the work-plateand draw the rod 0, connected therewith, forwardvout of contact with theclutch-lever 12, when the spring 144 will retract said clutch-lever torelease the driving-pulley 11 from the fly-wheel and apply the brake a;to said fly-wheel and stop the shaft 2 and the stitching and clampfeeding mechanisms operated therefrom. At the moment when thedriving-shaft and the stitching and clampfeeding mechanisms are stopped,as just described, the driving-shaft O and the clamp returning andwork-holder feeding and buttonhole-cutting mechanisms operated from saidshaft 0 are set in motion bythe mechanism which will now be described,and when the clamp has been returned to its stitch-forming startingposition, the workholder fed along to bring the work into position for anew buttonhole, and the slit for said hole has been cut the shaft 0 isautomatically stopped and at the same moment the driving-shaft 2 isstarted to again set the stitch-forming and clamp feeding mechanismsinto operation. Thus the stopping mechanism for the driving-shaft 2serves as a starting mechanism for the driving-shaft C, while thestopping mechanism for the latter shaft acts to start the former shaft,so that the trains of mechanisms operated from said shafts will beautomatically but alternately stopped and started (one or the otherbeing in constant operation) until a buttonhole-piece or any desirednumberof buttonholes shall have been worked, when the entire machine isthrown out of operation, as will presently appear.

G is a stopping-bar pivotally attached at 145 to the longer arm 146 ofthe automatic settinglever F, said bar havingform ed integral therewitha hub 147, having a rigid rearwardlyextending arm 148, to which ispivoted the lever 149, the forward arm of which is depressed by thespring 150. In the rear end of the bar G is formed a slot 151, whichreceives a rollerpin 152, carried by the reciprocating slide 17,operated by the cam-grooved hub 14 of the constantly-rotating pulley 13,running loose on the shaft 0. Pivoted at 153 to the rear arm of the barG is a lever 154, provided at its rear end with a notch 156 and at itsforward end with a notch 157, the rear end of said lever being pressedagainst by the plate-spring 158, attached to the bar G. To alaterally-extending projection on the bar G is pivoted at 159 a latch160, having a rearwardly-extending finger 161, said latch when in itsrearward position engaging the notch 157 of the lever 154 to hold therear end of the said lever depressed out of the path of theconstantly-reciprocating roller-pin 152, a spring serving to hold saidlatch rearward in engagement with said notch.

The shaft 0 is provided near its rear end with a pinion 162, meshingwith a gear-wheel 163, mounted on a small standard 164, and providedwith a hub 165, having a notched or cut-away portion 166. Mounted insuitable arms or standards 168 169 is a longitudinally movable orsliding rod 170, on which is loosely mounted a rocker 174, having an arm175, held in contact with the notched hub or cam of the gear-wheel163 bya torsional spring 176, surrounding said rod, said rocker having an arm177 extending forward and provided with a head 178, in which is mounteda spring-pressed slide 179, provided with a hole 180 and a notch orrectangular recess18l.

- 183 is an arm rigidly secured to the rod 170, near the rear end of thelatter, and preferably having a spring-catch 184, said arm serving atthe proper time to release the dog 20, carried by the wheel 18, fast onthe-shaft C, from the pin or projection 19 on the loose drivingpulley13, and the said spring-catch serving to prevent backward movement ofsaid wheel 18 when unclutched from said pulley. The rod is drawn forwardto bring the releasingarm 183 into the path of rotation of the dog 20 atthe proper time by a spring 185.

H is a starting hand-lever loosely connected by a link 186 with a screwor pin 187 on the arm 183, the slot 173 in said link, through Ioo whichsaid screw passes, permitting a limited movement of the said arm 183 andof the rod 170, which carries the same, without moving said lever. Tothe lower arm of the lever H is jointed a rod 188, the forward end ofwhich is connected by a link 189 to an arm 190 on the inner end ofresting in a buttonhole-governing ratchet bar or slide 192, arranged toslide in a block or support 193, attached to the work-table on which themachine stands. To the outer end of the block 193 is pivotally securedan index-wheel194, provided on its inner face with a series of holes 195of different depths, said holes being so arranged that any one of themmay be brought opposite the outer rounded end of the ratchet-bar 192,said bar being arranged in line with the slide 179, carried by the head178 of the rocker 174, so that when said bar is fed forward adesireddistance, determined by the number of buttonholes to be worked, itwillengage said slide to automatically effect the stopping of themachine, as will be fully described farther on.

Pivoted to the post 196 is a pawl-carrier 197, provided with afeeding-pawl 198, which is in engagement with the teeth of theratchet-bar 192, said pawl-carrier being operated by the rod 199,attached to the lower end thereof, and the spring 200, which holds theinner end of said rodin contact with thearm 177 of the rocker 174,. Adetent-pawl 201 p revents the ratchet-bar from moving backward when thepawl 198 is retracted.

As above stated, the index-wheel has a series of holes of differentdepths, into anyone of which, brought opposite its end, the ratchetbarwill enter when it is retracted, these dif ferent holes beingindicatedby suitable marks or figures placed opposite them on the indexwheel.Thus if nine buttonholes are to be worked before the machine is to heautomatically stopped the index-wheel will be set accordingly; but if alessnumber of holes are to be made a shallower hole (denoted by a lowerfigure) will be set for the ratchet-bar to fall into when it isretracted, the said Wheel, it being understood, serving as a variablebackstop for the ratchet-bar, as the machine will always be stopped whensaid bar arrives at a particularpoint in its forward movement, and aforward movement of each tooth of the ratchet-bar will correspond to abuttonhole worked. A spring 202, arranged in the block or support 193,serves to return the sliding ratchet-bar to its starting position whenthe pawls 198 and 201 are released therefrom after a buttonhole-piecehas been finished. To pro vide for releasing these pawls, the rockingbar 191 is made semicircular in cross-section or is provided with aflattened side at that portion thereof which comes beneath said pawls,said flattened portion being at the upper side of said barwhen thelatter is in its normal position, so that the upper surface of that partof said rocking bar beneath the said pawls will be below the tops of theteeth of the ratcheta rocking bar 191,-

bar, thus permitting said pawls to engage the ratchet-teeth; but whenthe said rocking or pawl-releasing bar is partially turned by theabove-described connection with the hand-lever H a corner of said barwill be brought above the tops of the ratchet-teeth, and will thusdisengage the pawls therefrom and permit the spring 202 to retract thesliding ratchet-bar until its outer end engages the wall at the bottomof that hole in the index-wheel which may be set to come opposite saidbar.

The machine is started, after having been entirely stopped, by thehand-lever H, which retracts the rod 170 to release the arm 183 thereoffrom the dog 20, and said lever, through the rod 188, link 189, and arm190, also operates the rocking bar 191 to release the pawls 198 and 201from the ratchet-bar 192; but said pawls may be released from said barwithout retracting said rod 170, owing to the loose connection of thelever H with the pin 187 on said bar afforded by the slot 173 in thelink 186.

To the forward end of thestopping-bar G is jointed a link 203, which inturn is jointed at its forward end to the rear arm of a small bellcranklever 204:, pivoted toabracket 205 and forked at its forward end toengage the pin 79, which serves to lift the clamp feeding-pin 39 fromthe groove of the clamp feeding-wheel when the work-clamp is to bereturned to its starting position after a buttonhole has been stitchedand barred, said lever 201 being so connected with said pin 79 that thelatter will be positively raised and lowered.

Then the work-holder is to be fed forward after the completion of abuttonhole to bring the buttonhole-piece into position for forming a newbuttonhole, it is desirable that the tension on the threads should bereleased, so that all danger of breaking the threads or of bending orbreaking the needle or thread-carrying looper or loopers will beavoided. To automatically release the tension on the lower thread duringthe work'holder feeding operation, I have pivoted to the bracket 205 atension-releasing lever 206, the forward end of which is arranged to beforced between the disks of a tension device 207, said lever having nearits rear end a notch 208 to receive a cam projection 209 on the link203, said projection being so placed that when said link is in itsforward position and the stitch-forming mechanism is at work it will bein the said notch of said lever; but when the stoppingbar G movesrearwardly and the stitch-forming mechanism is stopped and the clamp-1eturning and work-holder feeding mechanism is started said projectionwill engage the full portion of said tension-releasing lever rearward ofsaid notch and force the forwardend of the lever between thetension-disks to separate the latter, and thus release the tension. Thelever 206 is held against the projection 209 by a suitable spring 210,pressing against a pin 210, carried by said lever. (See Figs. 25 and20.) The tension on the upper thread is similarly released by a lever211, the for IIO ward end of which is arranged to enter between thedisks of the upper tension device 212, said lever having at its rear enda laterally-extending arm 213, provided with a pin or roller 215,engaged by a cam-disk 216 at the upper end of the cutter-operating shaft2-1, said cam-disk having in its lower face a notched or cut-awayportion which receives said pin or roller when said shaft is stationaryand the stitch-forming mechanism is in operation; but when said shaft isstarted simultaneously with the starting of the clamp-returning andwork-holder feeding mechanisms the full portion of said cam-disk causesthe forward end of the lever 211 to enter between the tensiondisks, andthus release the tension. When the work-holder is being fed forward tobring the work into position for the formation of a new buttonhole, itis also desirable that a length of upper or needle thread approximatelyequal to the distance between one buttonhole and another should be drawnoff or unwo nd from the spool to avoid springing the needle, and this isefiected in the present instance by a friction-pad 217, consisting of ablock of rubber or other suitable elastic material, carried by the disk216 and arranged to engage one head of the spool 218 or of a disk 221,clamped against the said spool. The spool 218 is preferably carried by apin or holder 220, having a disk 221 permanently fixed thereto, andbetween which and the disk 219, having an internally-screw-threaded holeor sleeve entered by a threaded portion of the said pin, said spool istightly clamped by screwing up said disk 219. To permit the spool-holderand the spool carried thereby to turn easily, the ends of the saidholderare provided with countersunk recesses entered by center pointsformed at the ends of pins or screws 222 223, the former of which isfixed to the spool-holder supporting-frame 224:, and the latter of whichis carried by a movable arm 225, pivoted to said frame and pressedtoward the disk 219 by a spring 226, the stress of which latter toregulate the tension may be varied by an adjusting-screw 227.

In cutting an eyed buttonhole a small oval disk is punched from theleather or other material by the cutter, and it is desirable that thisdisk or cut-out piece of material should be entirely and reliablyremoved from the work, as otherwise imperfect-ions in the buttonholesformed are liable to result. 111 working buttonholes in cloth the diskscut from the eyes of said holes are usually left in the holes by thecutter and have to be removed with tweezers by the operator, and withleather more or less difficulty is also caused by these disks, which getinto the stitching or occasion more or less roughness of work at theeyes of the buttonholes. To obviate this difficulty, I have provided anautomatic eye-piece or diskremover consisting of a pin 228, arrangedbeneath the work-plate in vertical line with the eye of the cutter, anda small hole is formed in the eye portion of the cutting block or plate61 for the upward passage of said pin, the latter being attached to aVertically-sliding block 229, arranged in a standard 230 on thework-table and provided with an upwardlyextending arm 231, arranged. tobe engaged by a lever 232, pivoted to the work-plate B, to depress thepin-carrying sliding block 229 against the stress of the lifting-spring233, placed beneath it. Resting on the lever 232, near the outer endthereof, is a pin 234, which comes beneath the inner edge of theclampreturni'ng ring 77, the latter thus normally serving to hold saidpin and lever depressed against the stress of the lifting-spring 235.The clamp returning-ring is, however, provided with a notch or recess236, which,in the rotation of said ring and just before the cutterrises, comes above the pin 231, and thus permits the spring 235 to liftthe lever 232 from the arm 231, thereby releasing the sliding block 229,so that the spring 233 instantly forces the said block and the pin 228,carried thereby, upward, thus shooting or ejecting the cut-out disk ofmaterial out through the hole in the punch portion of the cutter, andthe said pin is then depressed out of the way.

The operations of the different mechanisms constituting my machine havealready been mostly set forth in connection with their structuraldescriptions; but the general operation of my machine may be stated asfollows: The driving-pulleys 11 and 13 on the shafts 2 and C,respectively, being set into operation by suitable power-driven belts,(not shown,) the work-holder E, with a buttonholepiece secured thereto,being placed in proper position on the supporting-plate 51, carried bythe clamp base-plate d, and the clamp being in the position shown inFig. .4, ready to be returned to its stitch-forming startingpoint, orthe position which it occupies when a buttonhole is cut and thestitching opera tion commenced, the machine is started by the outward orrearward movement of the upper or handle end of the hand-lever H, which,through the link 186, acting on the screw or pin 187 on the arm 183,draws the sliding rod 170 rearward, thereby disengaging the said arm 183from the dog 20, carried by the wheel 18, fast on the shaft 0, andpermitting said dog to spring outward into the path of rotation of thepin or projection 19, carried by the loose driving-pulley 13, thussetting said shaft 0 into motion to operate the clamp-returning,work-holder feeding, buttonhole-cutting, tension-releasing, and threadunwinding mechanisms connected therewith. The clamp-returning ring 77now swings the clamp and the work-holder mounted thereon around in ahalf-circle to the stitchforming starting position shown by Fig. 3, andin so doing feeds the work-holder along, as hereinbefore described, tobring the work or buttonhole-piece attached thereto into position forthe formation of the first buttonhole, and the clamp-returning pin 81 isthen released from the dog 83 on the said clampreturning ring, thelatter continuing its revolution around to its first position. Duringthe last half of the rotation of the clamp-returning ring thebuttonhole-cutter, operated from the shaft 24, descends and cuts thebuttonhole. Before the sliding rod 170 has been moved rearward by thehand lever 11, as above described, the rear end of the lever 149 wasreceived in the rectangular recess 1.81 in the slide 179, carried by thehead 178 of the rocker 174, and the rear end of the finger 161 of thelatch 160 was-in the hole 180 of the said slide, said latch thus restingin the notch 157 at the forward end of the lever 154 to hold the rearend of said lever depressed out of the path of theconstantly-reciprocating roller-pin 152. As the said rocker and its headare longitudinally movable with the rod 170, the said lever 149 isreleased from the recess 181 when the rod 170 is moved rearward, and thespring then lifts the rear end of said lever, so that it will engage theforward face of said slide 179 above said recess, and thus hold the arm183 out of the path of revolution of the dog 20 for the time being. Therearward movement of the rod 170 also disengages the finger 161 of thelatch from the hole'180 of said slide. The pinion 162 on the shaft 0,now in rotation, turns the gear-wheel 163 during the clamp returning andbuttonhole-cuttin g operations, so that by the time a buttonhole hasbeen cut the notched or cut-away portion 166 of the cam-hub of said gearcomes opposite the arm of the rocker 174, thus permitting the torsionalspring 176 to turn said rocker slightly to bring the recess 181 oppositethe rear end of the lever 149, so that the spring 185 may return the rod170 and bring the arm 183 into the path of rotation of the dog 20 tounclutch the pulley 13 from the shaft 0 to stop the latter. At themoment when the rod 170 and the parts connected therewith are thus movedforward by the spring 185 the finger 161 of the latch 160 is oppositethe web between the holesor recesses and 181in the slide 179, and as thespring is much stronger than the spring 155 the latter will yield,releasing the said latch from the lever 154, when the spring 157 willlift the rear end of said lever to permit the rollerpin 152 to enter thenotch 156, and as the said pin strikes the wall-at the left or forwardend of said notch it will move the bar G forward, turning the lever F onits pivot, thus causing the rod 0, connected to said lever through thelink 139, to move rearward and engage the clutch-lever 12 to remove thebrake on from the fly-wheel 10 and force the pulleywheel 11 into contactwith said fiy-wheel to start the shaft 2, and the stitching and clampfeeding mechanisms operated thereby.

When the hand-lever II is operated to start the machine, the bar 191 isrocked slightly, releasing the pawls 198 and 201, as has been described,and the ratchetbar is then retracted byv its spring 202, thus freeingthe slide 17 9, which is returned by its spring into such position as tobe engaged by the lever 149, and the finger of the latch 160, which,striking the inner face of said slide, moves the rod 170 rearward tostart the shaft 0, when the lever F is next operated at the automaticstopping of the stitching and clamp feeding mechanisms; but when thelast buttonhole in the piece of work in the work-holder is finished theratchet-bar is fed forward, so as to engage said slide 17 9 and forcethe latter inward or forward, so that when shaft 2 is next stopped andthe lever F next moves to carry the stopping-bar G rearward the rear endof the lever 149 is opposite the recess 181 of said slide and the rearend of the finger 161 of the latch 160 is opposite the hole 180 in saidslide, so that now, instead of engaging any part of the face of saidslide, the rear end of the lever 149 will enter said recess and the rearend of the said finger will enter said hole, and

thus these parts, which at prior rearward movements of the bar G engagedsaid slide to force the rod 17 O rearward to start the shaft C, will nowfail to engage said slide, and the said shaft will therefore remain atrest and g the entire machine will be stopped.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to theparticular details of the mechanism hereinbefore described, as theconstructions of the parts of my machine may be varied widely withoutdeparting from myinvention, and as I believe that I am the first toprovide a buttonhole sewing-machine with an automatic mechanism foradvancing the work from one buttonhole to another, I wish to beunderstood as claiming this feature broadly, as also, in connectiontherewith, the feature of an automatic mechanism for stoping the machinewhen any desired number of buttonholes has been worked.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, witha stitch-forming mechanism and a feeding mechanism for spacing thestitches along the edges of the buttonholes, of a work-holding deviceand a feeding device for advancing the work from one buttonholestitchingposition to another.

2. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism and a feeding mechanism for spacing thestitches along the edges of the buttonholes, of a work-holding deviceand an automatic feeding mechanism for advancing the work from onebuttonhole-stitching position to another.

3. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism and a work-clamping device, of an automaticfeeding mechanism for advancing the buttonhole-piece relative to saidclamping device to feed the work from one buttonhole-stitching positionto another.

4. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, a

work-clamp, and an automatic barring mechanism, of an automatic feedingmechanism for advancing the buttonhole-piece relative to said work-clampto feed the work from one buttonhole-stitching position to another.

5. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the com bination, with astitch-forming mechanism and a work-clamp, of a traveling work-holder,to which a buttonhole-piece may be secured, and an automatic feedingmechanism for advancing said work-holder relative to the said clamp tofeed the buttonhole-piece from one buttonhole-stitching position toanother. 6. Inabuttonholesewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, a work-clamp, and a feeding mechanism forthelatter, of a work-holder to which a buttonhole piece may be secured, andan automatic feeding mechanism for advancing said work holder relativeto said clamp to feed the butionhole-piece from one buttonhole-stitchingposition to another.

7. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism,a work-clamp, and a feeding mechanism for thelatter, of an automatic clamping and releasing mechanism, a work-holderto which a buttonhole-piece may be secured, and an automatic feedingmechanism for advancing said work-holder relative to said clamp when thelatter is released to feed the buttonhole-piece from onebuttonhole-stitching position to another.

8. In abuttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with a stitch-formingmechanism and a feeding mechanism for spacing the stitches along theedges of the buttonholes, of an automaticbuttonhole-cutting mechanism, awork-holder to which a buttonhole-piece may be secured, and an automaticfeeding mechanism for advancing said work-holder to feed the work fromone buttonhole-stitching position to another.

9. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, a work-clamp, and feeding mechanism for thelatter, of an automatic buttonhole-cutting mechanism,a work-holder towhich a buttonhole-piece may be secured, and an automatic feedingmechanism for advancing said workholder to feed the work from onebuttonholestitching position to another.

10. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with a stitchforming mechanism, awork-clamp, and feeding mechanism for the latter, ofan automatic clamp-returning mechanism, a work-holder to which abuttonhole-piece may be secured, and an automatic feeding mechanism foradvancing said workholder to feed the work from one buttonholestitchingposition to another.

11. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism and a work-holding device, of an automaticfeeding mechanism for advancing the work from. one buttonhole-stitchingposition to another, a starting and stopping mechanism for saidstitch-forming mechanism, and a second starting and stopping mechanismfor said automatic work-feeding mechanism.

12. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism and a work-holding device, of an automaticfeeding mechanism for advancing the work from one buttonhole-stitchingposition to another, a starting and stopping mechanism for saidstitch-forming mechanism, and a second starting and stopping mechanismto start and stop the said automatic work-feeding mechanism, saidstarting and stopping mechanisms being reciprocally connected so thateach throws the other into and out of action to alternately start andstop the mechanisms with which they are connected.

13. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, an automatic buttonhole-cutting mechanism, andmeans for throwing said mechanisms into and out of action alternately,of an automatic feeding mechanism for advancing the work from onebuttonhole-stitching position to another and means by which said feedingand cutting mechanisms are automatically and successively thrown intoaction when the stitch-forming mechanism is stopped.

14. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, a feeding mechanism for advancing the workbeneath the needle, and an automatic feeding mechanism serving toadvance the work from one buttonhole-stitching position to another, ofan automatically-operatingbuttonhole-cutter extending close up to thevertical plane of the needle, so that a buttonholeslit formed therebywill be in position for the commencement of the sewing operation as soonas made, and thus no time will be required between the cutting andstitching operations to feed the buttonhole-slit up to the needle.

15. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, of a work-holding device, an automatic feedingmechanism for advancing the work from onebuttonhole-stitching positionto another, tension devices for the buttonholethreads, and automatictension-releasing de vices for removing the tension from said threadswhen the work is to be moved along to form a new buttonhole.

16. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, of a work-holding device, an automatic feedingmechanism for advancing the work from one buttonhole-stitching positionto an other, tension devices for the buttonholethreads, automatictension-releasing devices for removing the tension from said threadswhen the work is to be moved along to form a new buttonhole, and anautomatic pull-off or thread-unwinding mechanism to draw slackneedlethread from its spool when the work is thus automaticallyadvanced.

IIO

17. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, a Work-clamp, and an automatic feedingmechanism for advancing the work from one buttonhole-stitching positionto another, of an automatic releasing and clamping mechanism forreleasing the clamping-feet from the work when the latter is to be fedalong to bring it into position for a new buttonhole and for returningsaid feet to their clamping positions when the buttonhole-pieceadvancing or feeding operation has been effected.

18. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with thestitch-forming mechanism thereof, of a work-clamp, an automatic feedingmechanism for advancing the buttonhole-piece from onebuttonhole-stitching position to another, an automatic buttonholecuttingmechanism, an automatic clamping and clamp-releasing mechanism, andalternately-acting automatic starting and stopping mechanism for saidstitch-forming mechanism and for the said automatic feeding, cutting,and clamping and clamp-releasing mechanisms, whereby when a buttonho1epiece has been placed in position by the.op erator a series ofbuttonholes may be automatically cut and stitched, the work beingautomatically clamped and unclamped and automatically fed from onebuttonhole-stitching position to another when unclamped, the stitchforming mechanism being stopped when the automatic feeding and cuttingmechanisms are operating, and vice versa.

19. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with thestitch-forming mechanism thereof, of a Work-clamp, an automatic barringmechanism, an automatic feeding mechanism for advancing thebuttonholepiece from one buttonhole-stitching position to another, anautomatic buttonhole-cutting mechanism, an automatic clamping andclamp-releasing mechanism, an alternatelyacting automatic starting andstopping mechanism for said stitch-forming and barring mechanisms andfor the said automatic feeding, cutting, and clamping andclamp-releasing mechanisms, whereby when a buttonholepiece has beenplaced in position by the operator a series of buttonholes may beautomatically cut, stitched, and barred, the work being automaticallyclamped and unclamped and automatically fed from one buttonholestitchingposition to another when unclamped, the stitch-forming mechanism beingstopped when the automatic feeding and cutting mechanisms are operating,and vice versa.

20. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, ot' a work-holding device, an automaticfeeding mechanism for advancing the work from one buttonhole-stitchingposition to another, an automatic stopping mechanism, and an adjustableautomatic governing device acting on said stopping mechanism to effect astoppage of the machine when a predetermined number of buttonholes hasbeen Worked.

21. In a buttonhole sewingmachine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, of a Work-clamp, an automatic feedingmechanism for advancing the work from one buttonhole-stitching positionto another, an automatic buttonhole-cutting mechanism, an automaticclamping and clamp releasing mechanism, and alternately and reciprocallyacting starting and stopping mechanisms for the saidstitch-forming-mechanism and for said automatic feeding, cutting, andclamping and clamp-releasing mechanisms, a tripping mechanism fordisconnecting the said starting and stopping mechanisms from each other,and an adjustable governing device for the said tripping mechanism,whereby the latter may be thrown into action to suspend the operation ofthe machine when a predetermined number of successively-workedbuttonholes has been completed.

22. In a buttonhole sewingmachine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism, of a work-clamp, an automatic barringmechanism, an automatic feeding mechanism for advancing the work fromone buttonhole stitching position to another, an automaticbuttonholecutting mechanism, an automatic clamping and clamp-releasingmechanism, and alternately and ing and stopping mechanisms for the saidstitch-forming and barring mechanisms and for the said automaticfeeding, cutting, and clamping and clamp-releasing mechanisms, atripping mechanism for disconnecting the said starting and stoppingmechanisms from each other, and an adjustable governing device for thesaid tripping mechanism, whereby the latter may be thrown into action tosuspend the operation of the machine when a predetermined number ofsuccessively-worked buttonholes has been completed.

23. In a buttonhole sewing-machine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism and a work-clamp, of an automaticallyoperatingbuttonhole-cutter having an eyeletforming portion and anautomatically-operating pin for ejecting from the said clamp theeye-pieces or disks of material cut from the Work by the eyelet portionof said cutter.

24. In a buttonhole sewingmachine, the combination, with astitch-forming mechanism and a feeding mechanism for spacing thestitches along the edges of the buttonholes, of a work-holder formed tocorrespond, approximately, to the shape of the buttonhole-piece andmeans for guiding said work-holder on the Work-plate of the machine andfor feeding it along from one buttonhole-stitching position to another.

25. In a buttonholesewing-machine, astitchforming mechanism and awork-holder provided with aseries of fingers to come between thebuttonholes, said fingers having workholding clamping devices, combinedwith reciprocally acting start

